2026
CARVER COUNTY SHERIFF ELECTION
FIVE CANDIDATES
ONE IMPORTANT DECISION
ABOUT THIS VOTER INFORMATION GUIDE
Candidate biographies, professional experience, qualifications, priorities, and campaign positions presented in this guide were compiled principally from each candidate’s official campaign website, campaign materials, published interviews, and public statements.
Additional sections may draw upon publicly available government documents, local news reporting, employee climate-study materials, union or employee statements, election-related publications, and other sources identified within the text.
Every reasonable effort has been made to present candidate-provided information accurately and fairly. Candidate statements, documented findings, employee allegations, public commentary, and the author’s professional observations or conclusions are identified and presented separately whenever practical.
The inclusion of information in this guide should not be interpreted as independent verification of every statement made by a candidate, employee, organization, publication, or other source. Readers are encouraged to review the original source materials, visit each candidate’s campaign website, and reach their own informed conclusions.
This voter information guide was independently prepared and privately funded by Richard Odoms as a public service to Carver County residents. No taxpayer dollars were used in its preparation or publication.
AUTHOR’S DISCLOSURE
Richard Odoms is a retired Law Enforcement Officer, former Hamburg City Council member, and a 2026 candidate for Mayor of Hamburg. He has publicly expressed his personal opinion concerning the qualifications and suitability of candidates in the Carver County Sheriff election.
This guide is not an official publication of, nor endorsed by; Carver County, the Carver County Sheriff’s Office, any political party, or any candidate’s campaign. Except where expressly identified, no candidate or campaign participated in preparing, approving, or financing this publication.
WHY THIS ELECTION MATTERS
The 2026 election for Carver County Sheriff presents voters with an unusually important decision. Five candidates are seeking the county’s highest elected law-enforcement position, and only two will advance from the August 11 primary election to the November general election.
The five candidates are (in alphabetical order): Patrick Berry, Jessica Heger, Darrell Huggett, Adam Moore and Matt Steen.
Each candidate brings a different combination of professional experience, leadership history, priorities and ideas for the future of the Carver County Sheriff’s Office.
This election is not simply a contest involving years of service, titles held or campaign slogans. Carver County voters are being asked to decide what kind of leadership the Sheriff’s Office needs at a time when serious questions have been raised publicly about employee morale, retention, communication, workplace culture, staffing and confidence in existing leadership.
Some candidates present themselves as experienced administrators. Others emphasize investigative work, community policing, school safety, organizational change, fiscal responsibility or servant leadership. One candidate currently serves as Chief Deputy within the Carver County Sheriff’s Office. Another has publicly pledged to serve only one four-year term. Other candidates offer professional experience developed primarily outside the present Carver County Sheriff’s Office command structure.
Those differences matter.
THE SHERIFF IS MORE THAN THE COUNTY’S “TOP COP”
The Carver County Sheriff is an independently elected public official responsible for much more than supervising patrol deputies.
The Sheriff provides leadership affecting patrol operations, criminal investigations, jail operations, emergency communications, court security, emergency management, contract law-enforcement services, employee development, departmental budgeting and relationships with cities, townships, schools and other public-safety agencies.
The Sheriff also establishes the leadership tone of the organization.
Policies may exist on paper, but the Sheriff’s leadership determines whether employees believe they are respected, whether concerns are welcomed, whether supervisors are held accountable and whether problems are confronted honestly or allowed to continue.
A Sheriff must therefore be more than a capable police officer. The position requires sound judgment, administrative competence, personal integrity, fiscal responsibility, effective communication and the ability to earn the confidence of employees and the public.
A DECISION BETWEEN CONTINUITY AND CHANGE
One of the central questions in this election is whether the Carver County Sheriff’s Office needs continuity with its present administration or a meaningful change in direction.
Patrick Barry is the only candidate currently affiliated with the Carver County Sheriff’s Office. According to his campaign website, he has served with the agency since 2003 and has been Chief Deputy since 2019. In that position, he serves as the Sheriff’s Executive Officer, oversees every major division, and participates in strategic planning and budget oversight.
That experience provides Barry with extensive institutional knowledge. It also makes his record as a senior member of the existing administration a legitimate subject for voter examination.
When a Chief Deputy seeks promotion to Sheriff, voters are entitled to ask:
What responsibility did the Chief Deputy have for the present condition of the organization?
What authority did he possess to identify and address employee dissatisfaction, communication failures, staffing problems or workplace-culture concerns?
What corrective measures did he recommend or implement?
Why do concerns about morale, retention and leadership remain prominent issues if the candidate has already occupied the organization’s second-highest position for several years?
These are not personal attacks. They are reasonable questions about executive responsibility, accountability and the likelihood of meaningful organizational change.
At the same time, candidates coming from outside the current command structure must demonstrate that they understand Carver County’s needs and possess the experience necessary to manage a complex public-safety organization.
Change merely for the sake of change is not enough. A new Sheriff must be capable of diagnosing problems, earning employee trust, developing supervisors, managing public funds and building productive relationships throughout the county.
FIVE CANDIDATES — FIVE DIFFERENT CASES FOR LEADERSHIP
Patrick Barry emphasizes more than 27 years in law enforcement, including 22 years with the Carver County Sheriff’s Office. His campaign highlights community relations, recruitment and retention, staff wellness, mental-health response, transparency, accountability and technology.
Jessica Heger presents herself as a 25-year public-safety professional whose experience includes service as a Carver County 9-111 dispatcher, patrol officer, investigator, school resource officer and state special agent. Her campaign emphasizes employee retention and development, officer wellness, school safety, mental-health integration, innovative problem-solving, integrity and transparency.
Darrell Huggett presents more than 38 years of law-enforcement experience, including executive-level command within the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office. His campaign emphasizes municipal partnerships, modernization, responsible staffing, budgeting and accountability.
Adam Moore presents more than 20 years of law-enforcement experience and emphasizes safer roads, school security, servant leadership and repairing what he describes as a workplace culture that has contributed to staffing and retention problems.
Matt Steen presents more than 29 years in law enforcement and 17 years in supervisory positions. He has publicly pledged to serve only one four-year term, saying that this would allow him to lead without concern for reelection and establish a course for future generations. His priorities include training, staffing, community-oriented policing, fiscal responsibility and emergency-response visibility.
Each candidate’s claims, priorities and professional history deserve careful examination under the same standards.
THE PURPOSE OF THIS VOTER INFORMATION RESOURCE
The purpose of this resource is to place relevant election information in one location so Carver County residents do not have to search through five separate campaign websites, numerous social-media pages, news reports and election graphics to understand the choices before them.
Candidate biographies, professional experience and stated priorities will be presented primarily from the candidates’ own campaign websites and public statements.
Workplace concerns, survey information, employee comments and publicly raised leadership issues will be presented separately and clearly identified according to their source.
Professional observations and conclusions will also be labeled as analysis rather than represented as established fact.
This resource is not intended to prevent readers from visiting the candidates’ websites. Voters are encouraged to examine the original campaign materials, attend public forums, ask questions and independently evaluate the candidates.
The goal is to provide Carver County residents with a more complete foundation upon which to make an informed decision.
THE DECISION BELONGS TO THE VOTERS
The next Sheriff will inherit not only the authority of the office, but also responsibility for its employees, workplace culture, public confidence, financial stewardship and future direction.
The successful candidate must be prepared to lead experienced professionals, address existing concerns, communicate openly, accept accountability and establish a credible plan for the years ahead.
The question is not simply:
Who wants to become Sheriff?
The more important question is:
Which candidate has demonstrated the experience, judgment, independence, leadership ability and vision necessary to become the Sheriff that Carver County now needs?
MEET THE FIVE CANDIDATES
Five candidates filed for the nonpartisan office of Carver County Sheriff in 2026:
Patrick Barry, Jessica Heger, Darrell Huggett, Adam Moore and Matt Steen
Because more than two candidates filed, the August 11 primary election will reduce the field to the two candidates receiving the highest number of votes. Those two candidates will advance to the November 3 general election.
The summaries below are based principally upon information each candidate has chosen to publish on his or her official campaign website. They are intended as introductions rather than endorsements or complete evaluations.
The candidates are presented alphabetically.
PATRICK BARRY
Current Chief Deputy and Candidate of Organizational Continuity
Patrick Barry is the only candidate currently employed by the Carver County Sheriff’s Office and the only candidate presently serving within its command administration.
Barry states that he has more than 27 years of law-enforcement experience, including 22 years with the Carver County Sheriff’s Office. He began his career in 1998 with the Belle Plaine Police Department, later served with the Le Sueur Police Department and joined the Carver County Sheriff’s Office in 2003.
According to his campaign website, Barry has served in the following roles: Patrol Deputy, Watertown Liaison Deputy, Detective/
Crime Scene Investigator, Public Safety Diver, Patrol Sergeant, Lieutenant, Investigations Lieutenant and Chief Deputy.
Barry was promoted to Sergeant in 2011, Lieutenant in 2014 and Investigations Lieutenant in 2017. He was appointed Chief Deputy in 2019.
As Chief Deputy, Barry serves as Executive Officer to the Sheriff and oversees all major divisions of the Sheriff’s Office, including:
Patrol Operations, Support Services, Jail Operations, Emergency Communications, Emergency Management and Administration
Strategic Planning and Budget Oversight
Barry holds a Master of Arts degree in Public Safety Administration, a Bachelor of Science degree in Police Sciences and an Associate of Science degree in Law Enforcement. He is also a graduate of the Northwestern University Center for Public Safety School of Police Staff and Command and is a Certified Emergency Manager.
His campaign identifies five principal priorities: Community Relations and Public Safety, Recruitment, Retention and Employee Wellness, Mental-Health response in the community and jail, Transparency and Accountability and Technology advancement.
Barry argues that his long experience within the Carver County Sheriff’s Office provides him with the institutional knowledge and executive experience necessary to lead the organization.
That experience is plainly relevant. It also makes Barry the candidate most closely connected to the present administration and its record.
For voters, his candidacy presents a central question: Does Carver County need continuity under a longtime member of the existing command administration, or does the organization need leadership developed outside its current structure ?
JESSICA HEGER
Broad Public-Safety, Investigative and Program-Building Experience
Jessica Heger describes herself as a 25-year public-safety professional and a 22-year resident of Carver County.
Her public-safety career began in 2000 as a 911 dispatcher with the Carver County Sheriff’s Office. She served in that position
for six years before becoming a police officer with the Hopkins Police Department.
At Hopkins, Heger served as Patrol Officer, Investigator and School Resource Officer.
Heger became the Hopkins Police Department’s first School Resource Officer and states that she developed its SRO program from the ground up. Her work included Internet Safety, Driver Education, School Security Assessments and Relationship-Building with Students, Families, Faculty and School Administrators.
In 2022, Heger became a Special Agent with the Minnesota Commerce Fraud Bureau. While there, she helped develop a statewide Auto Theft Prevention Lending Library containing more than $500,000 in equipment available to Law Enforcement agencies throughout Minnesota.
In January 2025, she joined the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension as a Special Agent assigned to the Financial Crimes and Fraud Section. Her campaign website states that she developed a statewide scrap-metal theft program and serves on the BCA Crime Scene Team.
Heger holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Police Science, an Associate of Applied Science degree in Law Enforcement, a Bureau of Criminal Apprehension Supervision Certificate
Her campaign identifies six principal priorities: Community-Centered Policing, Employee Retention and Professional Development, Officer Wellness, Mental-Health Integration, Innovative Problem Solving, Integrity and Transparency.
Heger’s experience differs from that of candidates whose careers have been concentrated primarily in command administration.
Her background crosses several areas of Public Safety, Emergency Communications, Municipal Patrol, Criminal Investigations,
School Safety, Financial Crime Investigations, Statewide Program Development and Crime Scene Response.
Her candidacy asks voters to consider whether a wide variety of practical assignments, combined with experience creating new programs, provides the type of adaptable leadership the Sheriff’s Office presently needs.
DARRELL HUGGETT
Extensive Executive and Large-Agency Command Experience.
Darrell Huggett states that he has more than 38 years of Law-Enforcement experience.
His career began in a small lakes-area police department and advanced to executive-level command within the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office, Minnesota’s largest Sheriff’s Office. Huggett and his wife have lived in Carver County since 1992.
According to his campaign website, Huggett’s executive responsibilities included oversight of: Enforcement Operations, Administrative Functions, Detention Services, Court Services, Policy Development and Organizational Restructuring.
Huggett also served as Project Manager for a $37 million consolidated Emergency Communications Facility providing Police and Fire dispatching and technical support to 27 communities.
His campaign highlights experience coordinating major and unusual Public Safety operations. It states that he served as the highest-ranking Sheriff’s Office commander assigned to Super Bowl LII, coordinating hundreds of assisting officers and serving as the principal liaison between Law Enforcement and County leadership.
His Website also describes his command of a multi-week emergency-relief deployment during catastrophic flooding in Moorhead. That operation involved personnel, equipment, a Mobile Dispatch Center and coordination with the Federal Emergency Management Agency to recover costs for taxpayers.
Huggett holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Minnesota State University, Mankato, and is a graduate of the FBI National Academy, where his studies focused on executive leadership in Public Safety administration. Earlier in his career, he served as a police canine handler.
His campaign identifies three broad priorities: Improving partnerships with municipalities, Modernizing services and budgeting,
Ensuring responsible spending and staffing.
Huggett says he would conduct a comprehensive review of Sheriff’s Office services, staffing models and spending. He advocates data driven deployment, measurable service levels, modern technology and clearer reporting to residents and local governments.
His candidacy presents voters with a distinct alternative: an experienced executive from outside the current Carver County Sheriff’s Office structure who has managed large, complex public-safety operations.
ADAM MOORE
Servant Leadership, Road Safety and School Security
Adam Moore states that he has served in Minnesota Law Enforcement for more than 20 years and has lived in Carver County for seven years.
His campaign materials describe him as a Watertown resident and the father of two teenagers attending Carver County schools.
He attributes his interest in law enforcement and servant leadership to the influence of his stepfather, who served as a Deputy Sheriff.
Moore identifies three principal priorities: Making Carver County roads safer, Building relationships with schools to protect children and Improving community service through servant leadership
Moore states that he served as director of the Highway 7 Safety Coalition and credits the coalition’s work with reducing traffic fatalities along the corridor from five in 2024 to none in 2025. That is a candidate provided claim and should be considered in that context unless separately verified through Official Traffic Safety records.
On School Safety, Moore proposes maintaining meaningful relationships with all schools and establishing threat-assessment teams intended to prevent violence.
Moore is also one of the candidates who directly addresses internal Sheriff’s Office culture on his campaign Website. He argues that workplace-culture problems have contributed to shortages of deputies and other personnel, a loss of organizational experience, difficulty fulfilling municipal contracts and longer response times in portions of the county. These are campaign assertions that will require comparison with available staffing, contract and employee climate information.
Compared with the other candidates’ websites, Moore’s site presently provides fewer details about his agency history, specific assignments, ranks, supervisory responsibilities, education and professional training.
That absence should not automatically be treated as proof that such experience does not exist. It does mean, however, that voters have less candidate published information with which to assess the full depth of his professional qualifications.
His candidacy asks voters to evaluate whether his road-safety work, School Security emphasis and servant leadership philosophy provide a sufficient foundation for managing the complete responsibilities of the Sheriff’s Office.
MATT STEEN
Supervisory Experience and a One-Term Commitment.
Matt Steen states that he has more than 29 years of law-enforcement experience, including 17 years in supervisory positions.
His campaign is built around an unusual and clearly stated commitment: he says he will serve only one, four-year term as Sheriff.
Steen argues that limiting himself to one term would allow him to lead according to his convictions without concern for reelection. He says his purpose would be to establish a strong direction for the organization and prepare the next generation of leaders.
His campaign identifies four central themes: Servant leadership, Training Excellence, Community Oriented Policing, Emergency Response and Deputy Visibility.
Steen says he would emphasize training in: Crisis Intervention, Use of Force, Officer Wellness, Jail Safety & Security, School Safety and Youth Interaction
His campaign also proposes increasing visible patrol, improving traffic enforcement, achieving full deputy staffing and strengthening relationships between deputies and the communities they serve.
Steen emphasizes accountability, transparency, fiscal responsibility, procedural justice and a commitment that the Sheriff’s Office would not become politicized.
His one-term pledge distinguishes him from the other candidates and raises two competing considerations.
Some voters may view the pledge positively because it could free a Sheriff from concerns about campaigning for reelection.
Other voters may reasonably question whether four years provides enough time to diagnose organizational problems, implement reforms, evaluate their results, develop successors and establish long-term stability.
Steen presents his one-term commitment as a strength. Voters must decide whether it offers independent leadership or creates uncertainty about continuity after only four years.
FIVE DIFFERENT PROFESSIONAL PATHS
The five candidates arrive at this election through notably different routes and all have a variety of years of Law Enforcement experience. The differences cannot be measured fairly by simply counting years. Voters should also examine:
The variety and complexity of assignments performed
The number of employees and operations supervised
Experience managing budgets and public resources
Experience developing new programs
Knowledge of jail, dispatch, patrol and investigative functions
Success building trust with employees and communities
Willingness to confront organizational problems
Ability to lead both sworn and civilian personnel
Plans for recruitment, retention and succession
Independence from existing practices and relationships
No single title or assignment automatically establishes that a person is prepared to serve as Sheriff. The office requires a combination of operational knowledge, administrative judgment, ethical leadership, communication ability, financial stewardship and public accountability.
AN INFORMED DECISION BEGINS WITH INFORMATION
The five candidates seeking election as Carver County Sheriff bring different backgrounds, professional experiences, leadership philosophies and priorities to this important race.
Some candidates emphasize continuity and institutional knowledge. Others offer outside experience, broader operational backgrounds, program development, organizational reform, employee retention, school safety, fiscal responsibility or servant leadership.
No candidate should be selected solely because of a job title, years of service, campaign slogan, political endorsement or familiarity with the existing organization.
The office of Sheriff requires much more.
Carver County’s next Sheriff must be capable of leading sworn deputies and civilian employees, overseeing patrol, investigations, detention, emergency communications and administrative operations, managing public funds responsibly and maintaining productive relationships with residents, municipalities, schools and other public-safety agencies.
Just as importantly, the next Sheriff must be willing to listen.
Concerns involving workplace culture, employee morale, communication, staffing, retention and confidence in leadership should not be ignored merely because they are uncomfortable or politically inconvenient. Employees who serve the public deserve leadership that welcomes honest feedback, addresses legitimate concerns and accepts responsibility when improvements are necessary.
At the same time, allegations and campaign claims should not automatically be accepted as established fact. Voters should examine the available information, distinguish documented findings from personal opinions and ask each candidate direct and meaningful questions.
Among the questions voters may wish to consider are:
What has each candidate actually accomplished during his or her career?
What leadership responsibilities has the candidate held?
Has the candidate demonstrated the ability to identify problems and create workable solutions?
Does the candidate offer genuine independence and a willingness to challenge ineffective practices?
How would the candidate improve employee morale, recruitment and retention?
What specific plan does the candidate have for the first year in office?
How would the candidate earn the trust of both Sheriff’s Office employees and the public?
The purpose of this voter information resource is not to make the decision for Carver County residents.
The purpose is to help voters make that decision with more information than can be found in campaign slogans, endorsements or brief social-media posts.
Each voter is encouraged to review the candidates’ own campaign materials, attend public forums, ask questions and carefully consider what kind of leadership the Carver County Sheriff’s Office needs for the years ahead.
The primary election will determine which two candidates advance to the general election. At that time, this Website will provide additional information and a more detailed comparison of the two remaining candidates.
Until then, the responsibility belongs to every voter:
Examine the experience.
Evaluate the leadership.
Ask the difficult questions.
Then cast an informed vote August 11th.
AUTHOR’S DISCLOSURE
Richard Odoms is a retired Law Enforcement Officer, former Hamburg City Council member, and a 2026 candidate for Mayor of Hamburg. He has publicly expressed his personal opinion concerning the qualifications and suitability of candidates in the Carver County Sheriff election.
This guide is not an official publication of, nor endorsed by; Carver County, the Carver County Sheriff’s Office, any political party, or any candidate’s campaign. Except where expressly identified, no
candidate or campaign participated in preparing, approving, or financing this publication.
The Author's Professional Resume Is Available At
